Taipei Mayor Compares City to 'Hot Pot' and 'Shaved Ice' in Election Analogy

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an returned from Singapore, where he received the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Special Award, to attend a press conference announcing the upcoming tender for the Xinwei Residential Redevelopment project. The mayor's recent international remarks, where he repeatedly used "hot pot" to describe Taipei's democratic and inclusive nature, have drawn attention.

His political rival, Shen Po-yang, a candidate for Taipei mayor from the Democratic Progressive Party, countered with a "shaved ice" analogy to describe the city. Shen praised Taipei's unique characteristics with eloquent prose, contrasting his description with Chiang's "hot pot" metaphor, which he felt blended ingredients into a single, undifferentiated dish.

When questioned about the emerging "hot pot versus shaved ice" narrative in the mayoral election, Chiang Wan-an responded with a diplomatic culinary comparison. "The main course is hot pot, and dessert is shaved ice. Both are very good," he stated, suggesting that voters do not need to choose between the two distinct descriptions of the city. The exchange highlights a playful, yet symbolic, framing of Taipei's identity in the lead-up to the election.